24 Connected LED Lighting Solutions
H
orticulture is the branch of agriculture that
deals with the art, science, technology, and
business of growing plants. This article
explores how TE Connectivity and Lumileds are
supporting future developments in LED-lighted
horticulture, enabling plants to grow more
efficiently.
Plants use a process called photosynthesis to
convert carbon dioxide (CO
2
and water (H2O) with
light energy, most often from sunlight, into chemical
energy. The plant then uses this for fuel. Farming,
over the past millennia, has been exclusively
outdoors to obtain the necessary sunlight for
growing plants.
Paul Golata, Mouser Electronics
How Does Your
Garden Grow?
As the earth's population is rising, more land is
needed to grow enough food. With most of the
earth's farmable land already in use, however, other
solutions are required. Indoor farming, in the form
of a greenhouse or vertical farms, is a potential
solution. Horticultural lighting is revolutionizing the
future of farming, enabling farmers to sustainably
grow vegetables and fruit all year round. It makes it
possible for faster growth, using less land, less water,
fewer fertilizers, and zero pesticides.
Breakthroughs in light-emitting diode (LED)
technology are allowing us to grow plants in ways
that previously were not possible, in countries with
terrains that are so harsh and arid that traditional
outdoor farming historically was very hard to realize.
